(NaturalNews) Whenever anyone talks about protecting our planet, they always bring up two issues: cutting emissions and developing clean alternative energy. Sounds great, huh? Nothing would be near as effective in cutting emissions, protecting our resources, and helping our planet as the masses adopting a vegan diet. This was also espoused by a recent United Nations study citing the fact that there would not be enough food to feed the people on the planet by 2050 if this were not done.
According to studies, it takes 5,214 gallons of water to produce four "quarter-pounders," 1,630 gallons to produce 1 lb of pork, and 815 gallons to produce 1 lb of chicken. Yet, it only takes 23 gallons to produce 1 lb of lettuce, tomatoes, or potatoes. Put another way: if you shower for seven minutes each day using a shower with a flow rate of two gallons a minute, you are using 14 gallons of water a day (seven minutes x two gallons), or 98 gallons a week. Rounding that up to 100 gallons a week, in 52 weeks you would be using 5,200 gallons of water each year to take daily showers. Compare that to the 5,214 gallons of water to produce 1 lb of beef and you would save more water by not eating those four "quarter-pounders" than you would by not showering for a year.
The calories of fossil fuel expended to produce 1 calorie of protein from flesh is 78. The calories of fossil fuel to produce 1 calorie of protein from corn or wheat is 3. If the grain that is currently fed to animals to get them ready for human consumption were made available to humans, there would be no grain shortages in the world.
The amount of greenhouse-warming carbon gas released by driving a typical American car in one day is about 6.5 lbs. The amount released by clearing and burning enough rain forest to produce beef for one hamburger is roughly 165 lbs. If the people of Indonesia ate as much beef per person as the people in the U.S., it would take only 3.5 years to clear Indonesia's 280 million acres of forests. Likewise, with Costa Rica and its people, it would take a year.
There are more species of birds in one square mile of Amazon rain forest than in all of North America. The life forms destroyed in the production of each fast-food hamburger made from rain forest beef are 20-30 different plant species, 100 different insect species, and dozens of bird, mammal and reptile species.
If these same 2.5 acres were used to produce wheat, corn, rice, potatoes, or cabbage, then 15-23 people could be fed. If that same 2.5 acres is used to produce beef or eggs, one person could be fed. To produce milk or chicken, a whopping two people could be fed. If the subsidies to the flesh industry were taken away and the costs of clearing forest in India were included, the cost of one hamburger would be $200.00.
So, the next time you read an article or editorial about saving the planet and none of the above is mentioned, you should realize that profits are being protected over the welfare of the people.
Do the math yourself and you will realize it is not rocket science to know that the road to travel is the vegan road. Its destination? The health of the planet and its inhabitants.
Aloha!
About the author
Hesh Goldstein: Vegetarian since 1975, vegan since 1990. Moderator of a weekly radio show in Honolulu called, "Health Talk" since 1981. Obtained a Master's degree in Nutrition, in 2007, to silence the so-called "doctors" that called in to my weekly radio show asking for my "credentials". At 72, I am in perfect health, have no illnesses, take no meds, play 4 on 4 half court hoops 2 hours a week, body surf, race walk, do various cardio and weight exercises, teach women's self defense classes based upon 30 years of Wing Chun training and play in a softball league twice a week.
To obtain a state of good health, if it had a face or a mother or if man made it, don't eat it.
For more information:
www.healthtalkhawaii.comHesh is also the distributor of Organic Sulfur Crystals, an incredible healing nutrient. For more information on this go to his website and click on Products.
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